Ch 39 ~ The Bongiovi Bunch

Things were… lighter now in Rachel’s personal life. 

The weight of the ‘more children’ decision was off of her shoulders, the wedding had provided a long weekend of fun, family and friends and her relationship with Jon was in a near-perfect place.  Well, except for Jon’s persistence in proposing marriage every day.  That had actually become more entertaining than stressful, though, and she almost enjoyed it being a part of their ‘routine’.  He’d even tossed it out there as part of his goodbye when departing right after Leanne’s wedding ceremony.

Overhearing his, “Gonna marry me now?” after he kissed Rachel goodbye, Robin had rolled her eyes and mimed sticking a finger down her throat.  Her sister hadn’t yet embraced Jon’s return with open arms, but that didn’t really bother Rachel.  His presence had kept her family’s nosy Seattle questions to a minimum, and sooner or later they would all realize everything was working out for the good.

Yes, her personal life was pretty much sunshine and roses. 

In other breaking news, however, water is wet and Mondays in the real estate and banking world are positively obnoxious.

Maybe it was the fact that her weekend had been so pleasant, but going into the office had almost felt like the end of the world to her that morning.  She knew that she always – always – had a million problems come across her email on Mondays and it wasn’t going to be much fun fighting those fires. 

These kinds of issues were going to be a whole lot more tolerable while staring out a hotel room window at Big Ben or Parliament, Rachel thought late that afternoon.  She literally could not wait until it was time to start her European jaunt with Jon. 

The thought had only just been fully formed when there was a firm knock on her office door.

Glancing up from the hundredth “crisis” issue of the day, she found James looming on the threshold and looking none too happy.  There had been nothing going on today that she couldn’t handle, so she was almost certain his dour mood had nothing to do with her work performance and she wasn’t dealing with another snit like the one she had last week.  She simply wasn’t in the mood.

That meant she pasted on the happiest smile she could muster.  “Oh, James, good.  I was just thinking that I needed to talk to you.  I’ll need to make arrangements to work away from the office for the entire month of June.  That won’t be a problem, right?”

His querulous expression shifted to one of confusion.  “Well, no…  I don’t see why it would be, but…  An entire month?”

“Mhm.”  She let her eyes flick from the email she had resumed typing and gave him another happy-go-lucky smile.  “Jon’s taking me to London.  I’ll bring you back something from Harrod’s.  Now, I’ve got a ton of stuff to finish up before I get out of here today, so if there’s nothing else, you’ll excuse me?”

“Uh…” 

Apparently she had distracted him from whatever his original mission may have been, because now he looked more confused than ever and was shaking his head.  He might have even mumbled something like “over my dead body” as the door closed behind him, but he did close the door.  That was the important thing in Rachel’s mind. 

The remainder of the day whizzed by and, before she knew it, Rachel had eaten a dinner salad, had a glass of wine and was locking the house down for the night.  She had just shut the lights off on the first floor, double checked the locks and was about halfway up the staircase when the house phone rang.  

Thank you, Hay Zeus.

The late hour was a dead giveaway that the caller would be Jon, and hearing his voice would be the one bright spot in Rachel’s day.  She smiled as she hurried toward the handset on her nightstand.

“Hey, babe,” she answered, only a tiny bit breathless as she dropped down onto the bed.  She kicked off her slippers and swiveled so that her feet were on the mattress and her back was against the pillows.

“Hi, sweetheart.  How’s my best girl tonight?”

His voice drifted over her like a soothing balm and the final remnants of her harrowing day melted under it.  “Just crawling into bed.  How is…  Where are you tonight?”

“Show was in Kansas City, but I’m in Montreal now.  Gotta zig zag around a little the next coupla days, but at least I’ll sleep in the same bed for a more than a night and I’ll get to see my kids a lot this week.   Some sacrifices are worth the trouble, yanno,” he tacked on in a voice that let Rachel know he was talking about his surprise visit to California over the weekend.  “Anyway, how was your day?”

“Typical Monday,” she relayed wearily.  “One nightmare after another.”

“Yeah?  Anything in particular going on, or is it just another day in paradise?”

“A little of both,” she chuckled, oddly compelled to share the biggest of her headaches.  “I’ve got this foreclosed vacant parcel that keeps falling out of escrow.  It’s right in the middle of a residential zone, but isn’t really big enough to do a lot with.  Buyers can’t get the right permits and it keeps coming back to my desk.  I can’t seem to get it priced low enough to get rid of it.”

He didn’t cluck sympathetically, or offer the empty platitudes of someone who truly didn’t give a flying fig as she half-expected him to.  After all, he didn’t exactly have the real estate background to be able to properly commiserate.

Or so she thought.  Not only did he offer a genuine response, he did it so immediately and insightfully, that it stunned Rachel. 

“So donate it,” he reasoned.  “Give it to Habitat for Humanity.  They’ll put it to good use, your bank gets the tax write off, it’s out of your hair and everybody’s happy.”

Oh.  My.  Word.  Why in the world didn’t I think of that? 

“Do you have somebody I can talk to?” she asked excitedly, sitting up in bed and looking for something to write with.   “Somebody at the top so I don’t have to wade through all the paperwork to get to the right person?”

“Yeah, I’ll get a name for you in the morning.   It won’t be the exact person you’ll deal with, but they’ll be able to put you in touch with someone in your area.”

I’m finally going to get this albatross from around my neck.  Halle-freaking-lujah!

“You.  Are.  Astounding!  It boggles my mind that, in under ten seconds, you may have just solved a problem I’ve been trying to fix for months.  Literally months.”

He was completely unflustered by her praise, and casually accepted the compliment in typical Jon fashion.  “And I’m good in bed.  Who knew?”

“I know, right?” she laughed, practically giddy with delight. “What other brilliance are you gonna throw my way?  I don’t see how you’re gonna top that, but give it a try.”

“Well… I dunno about brilliance, but I do have something else to throw at you.”

She was a bit concerned at the uncertainty in his voice.  Normally very direct and sure of himself, Jon didn’t do uncertainty.  “Okay.  What’s that?”

He gave a quiet sigh.  “Actually, this has been a sticky subject between us in the past, so… I’m not sure how to approach it without pissing you off.”

On the bright side, her Jon-reading skills were spot on.  She hoped that wasn’t the last bright spot in this conversation.

No matter what it is, there’s absolutely no reason to fight about it.  We’re a new and much better place than we used to be.  We can handle this together, like adults. 

She took a deep, silent breath and blew it out, steeling herself for whatever he had to say.   “Hit me with it, honey.”

“Alright, but promise me you won’t freak out, or hang up on me or –“

“Just spit it out, Jon.  Please.”

“Okay, but as far as I’m concerned you just promised, so keep your shit together.  Please.” He drew in his own breath and exhaled audibly. “Before you and I were back together, I made plans to take a vacation with the kids – and Dorothea.  I know that was an issue for you in the past, and now I’m faced with two problems.  The first problem is that this trip’s only a couple of weeks away, and I don’t want to disappoint my kids by cancelling it.  So… I’d like for you to come with us.”

Rachel’s head spun slightly at the visual of sitting at the breakfast table with Jon, Dorothea and their four children. 

On vacation.  Together.

Can you say awkward?

Awkward, but not out of the question.  At least he wasn’t excluding her.  That was progress, but she was reserving judgment until she found out the rest of the story. 

“What’s the second problem?”

“That’s it?” was his incredulous inquiry.  “You’re not going to have a meltdown?”

“Jury’s still out until I hear your second problem.”

“Alright.  But the second problem is a little more complicated.  I don’t know how to bring these two parts of my life together as one – and I need your help to figure it out.”

He was asking for Rachel’s input? 

Holy mother of pearl.

She couldn’t have seen that coming with a crystal ball and the entire Psychic Friends Network. 

“I…  I don’t think I’ve ever heard you ask anybody for help before, Jon.  That’s a new one.”

“I don’t usually need anybody’s help.  Work is work and I’m the boss, but this stuff?  I don’t have a clue how to change the relationship with my kids’ mother.  We’ve always been partners – Mommy and Daddy – but I need to change that since you’re part of my life now.”   

He had clearly been struggling to find a solution and it was killing him that the answer wasn’t coming.  Rachel could hear and feel Jon’s angst, and it made her feel guilty to know she was the reason for it.  At the same time, she had an overwhelming appreciation that he was doing everything he could to her happy and still maintain his closeness with his children – and their mother. 

“Honey, you’re always going to be partners,” she began, knowing it was true.  Those children were half Dorothea’s and the two of them together had assumed responsibility for the kids from the moment they were conceived.  Just as it should be.  “Your children are – and will always be – your family, right along with your parents and brothers.  And Dorothea is their family, so she’s forever intertwined in your life and a part of your extended family.  I get that and that’s the way it should be, but by your actions – coming to California and dedicating yourself to making our relationship work – you’ve made me your family, too.   All I’m asking is for you to make me part of the family you already have by not excluding me.  That’s all.  Nobody has to leave the family for us to be together.” 

“Not even Dorothea?” he asked. 

“No, not unless that’s what she chooses.   Look... I’m not threatened by her, I just resented her towering presence in our lives.  If she were your sister or cousin you wouldn’t allow her to keep controlling things.  All I ask is that you treat her with the love and respect that you would any family member, but that you remember she’s no longer your wife.  There has to be room for me to be the woman in your life.  Does that seem a reasonable approach?”

“I suppose so,” he agreed. “But how about you?  How are you going to feel about her being around?  Are you really going to be comfortable with that?”

“In the beginning… maybe not.  But she’s not going anywhere and neither am I, so she and I will have to learn to accept each other.  She’s been here for the last thirty years or so and I intend to be here for longer than that, so we’ll find our own relationship as time goes on.  We both love you, maybe in different ways, but the love is still there.  I’m sure she’s as willing as I am to make this a good situation for your kids and, in turn, for you.”

“You’re entirely too calm about this,” he teased, and she was pleased to note that all of the turmoil and angst were no longer present in his voice.  “Have you been drinking tonight?”

“No,” she chuckled, dropping her head back and closing her eyes.  They’d done it.  They’d walked through a potential minefield hand-in-hand and come out on the other side with no casualities.  Some day that would surely lose its novelty, but tonight it was a glorious moment.  “But I’d like to be drinking.  If you were here, I’d probably be sloshed from the vats of wine you pour down your throat.”

“Yeah...there'd be something down somebody's throat if I was there, that's for sure.” He laughed and then went quiet for a moment before circling back to the first problem.  “So you’re okay about us going on vacation with Dorothea?”

“I’d prefer to be alone with you on some white, sandy beach somewhere deep in the Caribbean.  I’m honest enough to admit that, but whatever I need to do for you and your kids…  I’m on board.”

“I can do white, sandy beach in the Caribbean.  The alone part?  Not so much.  In fact, we’re scheduled to charter a friend’s yacht so -”

“Seriously?” Rachel interrupted with disbelieving laughter. “You’re putting me on the SS Minnow with your ex-wife and kids?  That’s…. lovely.”

“Nah,” he countered with his own dose of humor.  “It’s bigger than that.  More like the Poseidon.” 

And just like that, Rachel’s smile went from her mouth to her eyes.  

This new man looked just like the man she’d met alongside that hot, dusty New Jersey road so long ago, but that was the only real similarity.  The new guy was willing to work as hard as she was to see their relationship thrive. 

If that meant getting on a boat in the middle of the ocean with his ex-wife and kids, well… that’s what they were going to do. 

It’ll be like the Brady Bunch.  Only more twisted...

Ch 38 ~ Baby Duty

“Rachel?”  Jon asked Rachel quietly as Hunter reached for the piece of bread that sat in her near-empty plate after the rehearsal dinner feast.

It had been a good evening.  Her family hadn’t given Jon the cold shoulder – much – and everything had gone according to plan.  Leanne and her husband-to-be looked happy, Robin looked mostly happy and her parents were always tickled to have everyone together in the same place. 

“No, no, baby,” she scolded the toddler softly, taking away the fork that had ultimately seemed more interesting than the roll.  “What, Jon?”

His shaggy head dipped toward the tow-headed angel in her lap.  “He’s going home with us?”

“Mhm.”  She ruffled the fine tendrils of hair at the baby’s forehead with a soft smile.  It was always such a pleasure to get to spend time with him and to spoil him when his parents weren’t looking. 

“You never mentioned we were babysitting tonight.”

Her eyes lifted to find Jon looking less than thrilled about the prospect.  “Number one, I didn’t expect you to be here at all – not that I’m complaining, mind you – but the fact that I agreed weeks ago to babysit was irrelevant until last night.  Number two, it’s been kind of busy today.  We weren’t in the same place anytime I happened to think of it.  Why?  Is it a problem?”

“Well…”  He rubbed along her thigh with the back of his knuckles.  “It kinda throws a monkey wrench into the plans I had for us tonight.”

“Don’t be silly,” she waved away his concern with a soft laugh and a promising wink.  “Hunter is a dream to keep.  He’ll go to bed early and sleep all night, so there will be plenty of opportunity for your ‘plans’, lover.”

“Better be,” he griped good-naturedly.  “God only knows when I’ll see you again.”

Rachel leaned over and kissed his cheek, whispering, “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner I can get him bathed and in bed.  Then you can take that monkey wrench of yours and do obscene things to me.” 

Instantly, his chair scraped across the wooden floor, almost topping in his haste to get up from the table.  “It’s been a lovely evening,” he said loudly enough for everyone in the vicinity to hear.  “But it looks like this little guy is getting awfully tired.  We should probably take him home and put him in bed, right Rach?”

She smothered a smile by kissing the side of the wide-awake Hunter’s head.  “That’s probably a good idea, honey…”

                                                                           ~~~~

Rachel decided to kill two birds with one stone and put the baby in the tub with her while Jon built a fire and opened a bottle of wine.  Hunter loved bubbles and all things bath time, and, on the evenings he spent the night with her, the two of them had been known to make a wicked mess playing in the water. 

Tonight the hour was later and, wanting the baby to be well rested for the wedding the next day, Rachel stuck to a quick scrubbing for each of them and released the water.  She had just stepped out and was trying to quickly dry off while keeping an eagle eye on Hunter in the tub when Jon’s voice came from behind her.

“Hey, you need some help with him?”

“You're really are anxious for some alone time, aren’t you?” she asked with a sly grin.  Not that she was complaining.  Who could complain about being wanted by a man who looked that good in nothing but a pair of jeans?

“Nah.  Well, yeah…” he eventually admitted with a sheepish laugh.  “But I just thought I’d see if you need an extra pair of hands up here.”

Tossing her wet towel to the side, Rachel grabbed a dry one.  Turning, she reached into the tub to grasp Hunter under the arms and pulled his chubby little body out of the remaining shallow water.

“You’re slippery when wet, aren’t you bud?  Yes you are.”  Rachel kissed Hunter in the folds of his neck as she wrapped a towel around him, giggling softly at her reference to Jon’s album. 

“I’m glad you find yourself amusing, because you’re the only one.”

“Not true.”  She ran a fingernail over the bottom of the baby’s foot, making him squeal with delight.  “Hunter thinks I’m amusing, don’t you, sweetheart?  Now c’mere…”  The roly bundle of toddler was swept up into the waiting towel.  “Let’s get your jammies on and we’ll go have a bottle.”

“He still takes a bottle?”

“Mm hmm.  Just at nap and bedtime.” She shook her head slightly, one corner of her mouth sliding up.  “Geez, I couldn’t get Tyler off his bottle til he was nearly two years old.  I thought we’d never break him from it.” 

“I wasn’t even home when my last two went off the bottle,” he mused quietly.  “Here.  Give him to me while you finish drying off.”

Rachel handed Hunter to Jon with the reminder, “Be careful, he’s slicker than snot from the bath.”

Jon arched an eyebrow at the naked blonde standing next to him.  “Not my first rodeo, dear.”

“I’m sorry,” she laughed. “I forgot you may have done this a time or two.”

Jon rubbed the baby’s wet hair with the towel then patted his bottom as he put him over his shoulder.    “Mm hm.  I’ve done it enough to know I better get a diaper on this little squirt before he pees all over me.  Where’s the diaper bag?”

“It’s on the bed.  Just give me a second to put a robe on and I’ll finish him up.” 

Rachel slipped her arms into the fuzzy, cold-weather robe and found Hunter giggling happily as Jon tried to diaper the child. 

“You silly boy,” she cooed to the toddler. “You’re waiting for your rubdown, aren’t you?  Your mama thinks you’re too old for baby lotion but Auntie likes the way it smells on you so that’s the way we do things when it’s just us.  Don’t we, sweet boy?” 

Hunter was slathered head to toe in the ageless baby lotion that Rachel loved so much before being zipped into his fuzzy, footed sleeper.  After Auntie Rachel had completed her own head to toe lotion ritual – with Jon as an avid audience – she and the little boy settled down in the chair nearest the fire.

Smiling down at the cherubic toddler whose eyelids were growing heavy in the middle of his coveted sleepy-time bottle, she allowed her glance to slide over to Jon.  He was leaned back comfortably on the sofa, sipping wine and doing his part to create what Rachel considered a picture-perfect Norman Rockwell scene. 

“There’s an extra glow to you tonight,” he observed quietly.  “Having that baby in your arms makes you look almost… ethereal.  I bet you were the perfect mother.”

Rachel shrugged as she finger combed the toddler’s hair and noted the rosy glow to his soft cheeks as he began to doze.   Nothing in the world felt as good as a little one in her lap, especially a freshly bathed one covered in the scent of baby lotion. 

“If I was, it was because they were good kids – good babies.  Perfect or not, I enjoyed every minute of motherhood.”

Flames engulfed the logs and created a soothing crackle that was the only sound in the room for several moments.  Rachel was lost in memories of these times with Lauren and Tyler and when she looked over at Jon, she found him watching her with a thoughtful expression.

“Rachel?” 

“Hmm?”

“Marry me.”

“No,” she declined softly with a gentle smile.  They may be living, breathing participants in a Norman Rockwell moment, but it was only that – a fleeting moment – and Rachel was fine with that. 

“I’m going to keep asking, yanno,” he informed her, unperturbed as he continued to sip his wine. 

“Whatever you need to do, baby.”

“You’re a pain in the ass sometimes, yanno?  But that does bring up another thing…”

Her eyebrows arched questioningly, requesting elaboration without words. 

“You never really said anything about whether or not you’d like to try and have a baby.”

“Mm.”  Because she hadn’t taken it all that seriously. 

“The thing is, we’re planning to release a greatest hits cd next year and I can use the momentum of this tour to promote it.  You know how it’s easier to keep a ball rolling than getting it started, so if I essentially just extend this tour to promote that record, it’s probably going to net me better results.  But I wanted to talk to you about it before I finalized plans, because if you want to get pregnant, I’ll need to be home and make that the priority.”

Green eyes narrowed in his direction and she tilted her head, studying the man she loved – and thought she knew – with bewildered amusement.

“Have we met?” she deadpanned.  “Because if we have, I no longer have any idea who you are.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“A year ago the thought of more kids in your life was enough to send you into outer space.   Now you want to make it a priority?   What has happened to the selfish, controlling, dictator-of-a-man I used to know and love?”

One corner of that beautiful mouth angled slightly upward in a crooked smile and, in spite of her mini character assassination, there was no sign of defensiveness when he shrugged one lazy shoulder upward.  “Quit bustin’ my balls, will ya?  This is the first time in my life I’ve been willing to put someone else’s needs before my own and it kinda makes me antsy, so just go with it.”

Hunter sputtered on the last of his bottle, commanding Rachel’s immediate attention, but a quick pat on his bottom was all it took for him to release it and snuggle into her.  With Jon’s question lingering in the air, she looked at the sleepy baby cradled in her arms and reminisced at the complete and total joy she’d felt at holding her own little ones.   

It was an experience that was unlike any other.  That tiny little life, so full of love and dependent on her for its very existence… 

Do I really want to do that again?  Am I strong enough to take the risk of losing another child?

She exchanged the empty bottle for her wine glass and took a long sip before turning to address the handsome man still staring at her, patiently waiting. 

“With this tour of yours…  You’ll be gone a lot for the next year or so, won't you?”

“Yeah.  And if we tour the greatest hits record, it will be more like two years.”

So, not only was she faced with the questions of maternal desire and strength, she also had to consider the fact that she would largely be a single parent.

“Look, Rachel,” he interrupted her deliberate soul searching. “I meant what I said about making sure you always come first in my life.  Now, you being happy is what makes me happy.  If you want to start another family, I’ll be a hundred percent on board.”

She searched his eyes in the firelight, scouring them for any signs of uncertainty or unwillingness, but she found nothing but sincerity glowing in their earnest depths.  He genuinely wanted only what she wanted, whatever that may be, and once she fully acknowledged that, her heart grew to at least twice its normal size. 

“You love me that much, huh?” she teased with loving affection.

Jon swallowed hard and nodded.  “You told me once, right here in this house, that I was the love of your life.  You said you’d never loved anyone the way you loved me, but that you didn’t want to elaborate on it any more than that.  Do you remember?”

When Rachel nodded, Jon leaned forward, propping his forearms on his thighs and cradled his wineglass between them.  He disinterestedly watched the pale liquid swirl in the bowl for a brief moment before purposefully lifting his chin and meeting her gaze dead on. 

“I love my kids, and I loved their mother.  That ain’t ever gonna change and I’m not gonna apologize for it, but as shitty as it is, I never loved anybody enough to consistently put their desires above mine – until you.   And I know you’ll understand when I ask you not to make me elaborate, because I don’t wanna lessen my family or my time with Dorothea any more than you wanted to lessen what Nick and your kids meant to you.”

It was hard for Jon to admit that what he’d tried so hard to preserve for all those years hadn’t been enough.  Through her own empathetic mist of tears, Rachel could see he was struggling with his emotions.  Could see that he was disappointed in the man he’d been, but determined to step forward and claim the man he was now.

“In…”  He cleared his throat, his hand restlessly rocking the wineglass back and forth as he spoke.  “While you were gone, I very painfully realized that without you,  I got nothin’ – but with you, I can walk water.”  The last inch of wine was tossed back and he put the empty glass on the table, now free of any distraction.  “Rach, if our life together includes kids, great.  I don’t have any doubt I’ll love ‘em to pieces.  And if it doesn’t include kids, I’ll still have it all, because I know, now, that you’re the only thing that matters.  My business will come and go, kids grow up and leave to build their own lives…. When I’m an old man, I’ll have had a satisfied life if I’ve spent it with you.   Everything else is just … stuff.”

A tear dripped down her cheek.  Yes, he’d told her repeatedly that she was all that mattered, but never before had he said with such obvious…  love.  The size of their family was truly up to her and she knew it deep down in her soul.

He’s offering you the world.  It’s what you wanted when you left him, so why are you hesitating now?

That was the kicker.  Was that what she’d truly wanted?  If he’d made this offer back in New Jersey, would she have said yes?  Or was it simply having the option that had seemed so very important?

Rachel was terribly afraid that may be the case. 

“Jon,” she sighed, shaking her head.  “I can’t begin to tell you how much I love you.  Having more children – your children – would be…  extraordinary.”

He nodded and stood, prepared to seal the deal with a kiss.

“But…”  She held him off with an open palm and a tender smile.  “I tend to believe I’m younger than I really am and, the truth is that…  Well, I’m past the point in my life where I need babies to make me complete.”

His eyebrows crept up into his hairline.  “You sure about that?”

She blinked away the lingering moisture and nodded up into his face.  “Very sure.  I think I just needed to be able to make that decision with you, instead of you making it for us.”

“But,” she grinned,  “a puppy might not be out of the question….”

Ch 37 ~ Change Of Plans

“Jon Bon Jovi, as I live and breathe!”  Rick Gordon slapped Jon on the back with a hearty laugh and extended his hand.  The men were currently adrift in the northern California boutique wineries that was hosting all of the wedding events.  Rachel had just left Jon in the separate room that had been set aside for the rehearsal dinner while she went to see what was left to be done and, apparently, her sister Robin had shooed her husband in this direction as well, because Rick was alone.  “I didn’t know you were going to be here.”

Jon warmly grasped the hand of Rachel’s brother-in-law and radiated a genuine smile.  He’d liked Rick from the moment they met him and, despite the fact that they hadn’t spoken in months, he considered the other man a friend.  A comrade-in-arms, if you will.

“Hey, if it isn’t the father of the bride!  Last minute change of plans.  I surprised Rachel by coming out last night.” 

And, honestly, it had not been one of his better ideas. 

When he’d heard the weariness in her voice the night before, he’d been unable to resist swooping in on his friggin’ white stallion of an airplane to make it all better.  That’s what men did when they were wooing a woman, right?  Well, while it all sounded good on paper, what he had forgotten was that the “damsel in distress” in question was a card-carrying-gun-toting member of the National Rifle Association – and she’d almost blown his head off when he snuck in the bedroom door. 

“Oh my word, you dumbass!” she had scolded once he dropped his bag and threw his hands up in the air, yelling at her to put away the damn gun.  “What are you doing here?”

“At the moment, trying not to get fuckin’ shot,” he drawled, his heart beating faster than he would admit to as she stowed the firearm in the nightstand drawer. 

“Then you shouldn’t be sneaking around in the dark when I’m not expecting you!”  The fear of an intruder put to rest, she slid her arms around his waist and smiled up into his face.  “Now what are you really doing here?”

So he’d confessed that he couldn’t stand the thought of her facing her disapproving family alone at the wedding.  She, of course, told him that was ridiculous and that they were her family, not a band of Middle Eastern terrorists, but he ignored her sarcasm and dragged her to bed.  At that time of night, they were both more interested in sleep than sex, but it had still been good to have her in his arms. 

There’s always tonight.

He didn’t have to be in Fargo until tomorrow evening, which meant that they had all night to execute any dirty deeds he could think of between now and the end of a short dinner. 

A guy could hope, anyway.

He figured there was an outside chance since the rehearsal itself had been mercifully short.  In fact, with the exception of the violinist’s feeble attempt at “Can’t Help Falling In Love”, it had been pretty much painless, as far as Jon was concerned. 

Even the babysitting gig. 

As Rachel’s “significant other”, Jon had walked down the aisle behind her and her groomsmen escort and sat on the end of the first row.  When Hunter, Rachel’s eighteen-month old great-nephew acting as ring bearer, had toddled his way down the aisle, Rachel swooped him up and the two of them joined Jon.  

The kid was cute, having the same blonde hair as the rest of his family, and he happily wiggled on Rachel’s lap as the rehearsal continued around them.  Only occasionally did he whine and reach for his mother, who was also in the wedding party, and even that stopped when he spotted the black beads of Jon’s necklace.  His mama became a distant memory as the little guy fought with every breath to wrap his chubby hand around that necklace and, by the time the rehearsal was over, he was gazing at Jon with an adoration that rivaled all those women who were lucky enough to have Bon Jovi pit seats.    

The rest of her family, he couldn’t exactly say the same of. 

Her parents, sister, niece and nephew had honestly tried to put their best foot forward, they just weren’t all that successful.  Robin was the one who kept trying to cut him to ribbons with her eyes, even as she smiled appropriately. 

Jon didn’t hold it against her.  He appreciated the effort for Rachel’s sake. 

Overall, and with only the exception of a few whispers behind their hands, they’d all pretty much been as warm as ever toward him, but Rick was the only one whom he felt truly comfortable with. 

At least until he dove head-first into the cesspool of crap that Jon had no desire to swim anywhere near.

The guy’s grin was pure evil as Rick shook his head, and they both lifted wine glasses from a passing waiter.  “Dude, you must have balls of steel to voluntarily take on this crowd when you had a get out of jail free card.  I’m impressed.”    

Jon helped himself to a sip of the local wine offering before putting on a smile and pretending there was no subtext behind Rick’s comment.  “What?  You think I could pass up on the chance to see your pansy ass cryin’ like a baby when your baby girl walks away a married woman?”

“Rat bastard,” Rick swore around a swig of his own drink and then scowled.  “I’m not losing a daughter, I’m gaining a son.”

“Who is gonna knock up that daughter.  You know how that happens, right?”  He couldn’t resist grinning as the slightly older man flipped him the bird.

“You are a real dickhead, yanno?  I hope I’m around when your daughter gets married, so I can give you graphic visual images of what the groom is gonna do to her on their wedding night.”

“No and hell no!” Jon chuckled.  “Stay the hell away from my daughter’s wedding.”

“Fine, fine.  On one condition…”  Rick wiggled thick, dark eyebrows and nudged him with an elbow.  “You gotta tell me about this hot little threesome you cooked up, buddy.”

Jon cringed and surreptitiously glanced around to make sure no one else was within earshot.  “Ah, Christ, man, do you hafta ask?  I’m sure you read plenty.”

“I wish!  I’ve seen pictures of the women, but Robin slapped the magazine out of my hand when I started drooling.  I didn’t get to read the juicy details.”

That explained why Robin had been the least friendly of the bunch.  She had a tendency to look at Jon like he was a disease-infested rodent even as she was smiling. 

“I’ll smuggle you a copy, but don’t lemme get caught talkin’ about it.  I’m gonna be doin’ hard time on that one for a while.”

“Oh c’mon!  Let a guy live vicariously would you?  I mean, I did the threesome thing back in high school but I was so drunk I woke up with a couple girls in my bed and didn’t remember a thing.  Tell me what I missed!”

“Yeah, well…”  He pulled a frown and rolled his eye.  “You don’t wanna live vicariously through my ‘whoring around like a 20 yr old’, as Rachel puts it.  I’m lucky I can still get it up after the way she ripped my ass.”

Rick all but doubled over in laughter, gaining him a punch in the shoulder from Jon and a wicked glare from his wife, Robin.  He dropped his voice to a taunting whisper as he waved congenially his wife.  “Well, you don’t have to worry about getting it up tonight, because Rachel volunteered to keep Hunter.  Don’t teach the boy anything you refuse to tell me about.”

“What?  Wait.”  Jon grabbed the other man’s elbow when he would’ve gone to his assigned seat.  “When did she do that?”

Rick shrugged.  “I just know that since Hunter’s parents are in the wedding party, they’re pretty tied up this weekend and Rachel said it was no problem to watch the baby tonight and tomorrow.”

Jon bit back a growl of frustration at having his one night with Rachel stolen away.  So much for his list of dirty deeds…

Just.  Fucking.  Great. 

Ch 36 - Size Matters

In the days after Jon and Rachel’s appearances in Las Vegas, the press published dozens of pictures of their time in Sin City.  The most popular were the ones that had been surreptitiously snapped during Cher’s show.  Those were…  revealing, even in her eyes.  There was no denying the emotion between her and Jon, and it was particularly evident in one photo.  The photographer had been somewhere behind them and caught a silhouette shot that, even without analyzing the background, she knew was taken during “After All”.  Why?  Because she looked positively besotted and he didn’t look any less so. 

Fickle as they were, though, some of the media outlets overlooked those and went directly on to speculating that they’d gone their separate ways.  That’s what happened when the press caught wind of Rachel returning home after Bon Jovi’s Denver show, while he carried on with the tour.  Little did they know it was only his charming ways after the Cher show that lured her into going as far as Denver in the first place. 

The story of “them” was deemed credible enough to escalate past the level of “gossip” and surpassed the level of grocery store rags.  More credible publications like People Magazine and US Weekly had both picked up the story and printed the accompanying photos.  The “Seattle Slew”, as she had come to think of Jon’s tawdry threesome, had died down in the wake of legitimate news. 

At least in the public eye. 

With the her niece, Lauren’s, wedding now only days away, Rachel thought her family would manage to overlook the Seattle Slew in the flurry of preparations.  No such luck.   When she joined them for a mid-week “girl’s day out”, the very same magazines that were being hawked at the grocery store checkout stands were prominently displayed at the salon.  It gave them both the glorious opportunity to question (grill) Rachel and discuss (at length) the soundness of her decision to move forward in a relationship with Jon.

It left Rachel weary, and the work she’d used to successfully immerse herself in so many times wasn’t providing any respite this time around.

The girls in the office had known absolutely nothing of her connection to “the” Jon Bon Jovi prior to the media hailstorm.  Now everyone in the office knew and found a thousand ways to casually ask questions about her intimate relationship with fame.  For the most part, they were easily satisfied and easily brushed off. 

However, once James got wind of it…

“Rachel, could I speak to you for a moment?” he asked, stepping inside her office and closing the door.

“Of course, James,” she immediately agreed, naively assuming he wanted to discuss her problematic client that was still trying to back out of a sale.  “What’s up?”

Parking himself in one of her guest chairs and crossing his legs, he regarded her solemnly.  “I think you’re making a mistake.”

“I’m sorry?  Do you think I should have handled Josie’s situation differently?”

“No, no,” he waved off the concern with a flick of his wrist.  “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the sleazy putz who is splashed all over the tabloids.”

Oh great.  Here we go…

She arched one eyebrow at him.  “I’ll assume you’re talking about Jon and not me?”

“Of course I’m not talking about you!  Rachel, how can you seriously think this guy is better for you than I am?  You hate being the center of attention, yet I can’t go to the grocery store without seeing your face on a tabloid.”

James was right.  She could mix and mingle with practically anyone, but she’d much prefer being able to blend into the woodwork after she did so.  Putting her life out there for the world to digest wasn’t something that had exactly been on her bucket list, but life didn’t always work out the way it was planned.  If nothing else had come of her “grief counseling”, she’d learned that much. 

“That’s true.  I certainly wouldn’t have chosen to be hounded by photographers, but sometimes you have to make a sacrifice for the greater good.”

“Well, you know, a life with me wouldn't put you in a position like this.”  

“James, I thought we’d already had this discussion…”

“No, no,” he protested, holding up a hand.  “Hear me out.  You’re a refined, elegant woman who likes her privacy.  He’s out wielding his dick as if he’s on the ark – two by two – and advertising it to the free world.  I mean, seriously, Rachel…  How can you possibly feel good about that?”

She rubbed subtly at her temple, where a headache was starting to form.  The temptation was to tell him to go fuck himself and get the hell out of her office, but there was a fine line that had to be walked. 

Firstly, she liked to think of herself as loyal and James really went above and beyond when she’d come back emotionally bruised and hurting.   He’d held her hand while she healed and held reasonable expectations that she might eventually pursue a life and future with him.  Truthfully, he’d been pretty gracious about stepping aside when Jon reappeared.

And then there was the fact that he was her boss… 

But if she looked at it in that light, he was crossing the line – big time.  Her personal life was irrelevant to her work life unless it affected performance.  Considering the deals that she’d managed since Jon had returned, she reined in her annoyance – to the best of her ability – and managed to sound only moderately condescending when replying, “I know you’re not playing the man whore card here, because you bought and dealt that deck when you cheated on me the first time around.  That pretty well took away your authority to pass any kind of moral judgment, as far as I’m concerned.”

“That’s different,” he protested leaning forward in his chair.  “I’ve told you time and again I was just a stupid kid when that happened.  I grew up.  He clearly hasn’t.”

Neither have you, if you can’t accept my decision and move on.

She sat up perfectly straight in her chair and met his gaze dead-on so that there could be no misunderstanding in what she was about to say. 

“James, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but this is truly none of your business.  If you’d like to discuss something related to work, then my door is always open.  If you want to second-guess my judgment in my personal relationships, please don’t bother even knocking.”

A thundercloud darkened his handsome features as he pushed to his feet.  “If I’d realized you’d be so open-minded to a threesome, I would’ve made that proposition long ago.”

She knew he was only striking out because he was hurt, but it took a deep dip into her pool of restraint to keep Rachel from leaning across the desk and slapping him.  Her voice remained incredibly calm when she requested quietly, “Please leave.”

He was already halfway to the door, turning back to her with his hand on the knob.  “I won’t pick up the pieces for you this time, Rachel.”

“There won’t be any pieces this time.  He’s the one that makes me whole.” 

The door shuddered behind him when he slammed it, “silently” venting his displeasure with her parting shot.

Okay, so that last little bit was her just being bitchy, but she still managed to deliver it in an even and civil tone.  That deserved at least three gold stars from the etiquette books on successfully managing a personal life in the workplace.  Maybe four.

All in all, the two days she’d been home had been hellish and by the end of this particular day, she wanted a glass of wine and a long, luxurious soak in the tub.  Feeling especially self-indulgent, the glass she chose was one of Jon’s favorites – the really big ones that held almost half a bottle of wine each. 

By the time her bubbles had dissolved and the water went tepid, she had come to share his appreciation with the oversized stemware.  In fact, she appreciated it so much that she took a second glass to bed to ensure that she would either get the most fantastic night’s sleep ever, or pass out. 

She wasn’t opposed to either, but when her phone rang around eleven o’clock she was glad she hadn’t passed out.  Considering the late hour – and short of an unexpected family emergency – the caller had to be Jon, and she didn’t want to miss a minute of their time “together”.

“Hello, handsome.”

“Hi, baby.”  He sounded tired, but his voice still carried a smile and that, in turn, made her smile.  “How’s my girl tonight?”

“I am currently in awe of your wine vessel wisdom.”

“Is that code for ‘drunk off your ass’?” he asked on a quiet chuckle.  “Because only a drunk could make sense of that.” 

She scooted down into the bed, snuggling into the pillow.  “Oh, for Heaven’s sake, how complicated is it?  I decided you’re right.  The big wine glasses are the best ones.”

“Ahhhh…  So you are drunk.  Looks like I have some catchin’ up to do.”  A noisy slurp rattled over the line, followed by a quiet belch and a contented sigh. 

“You’re a pig,” she laughed, pathetically amused by his blatant “manliness”.

“Mebbe.  I know I wouldn’t mind porking you….”

“Oh my word, you’re awful!  Moving on…!   How was tonight’s show?  You’re in…. Omaha, right?”

“No, that was night before last.   We played Wichita tonight.”

“I get all those corn places mixed up,” she lightly admitted.  “Regardless, I’m sure you rocked ‘em all, right?”

“You know I did, baby.” As much as she hated to admit it, his arrogance was a teeny-tiny bit hot.  Or maybe she was just hot because of the wine’s influence.  She fanned her face as he hesitantly changed topics.  “So…  Paul showed me the magazines.  You doin’ okay?”

Oh, honey.  Can we talk about anything other than those damn magazines? 

But she wouldn’t voice the inward groan.  Any penance that was due, he’d already paid, so she didn’t feel the need to heap anymore fuel onto a fire that she wished were extinguished.  It was nothing he didn’t go through every day, after all.

Well, except for that whole “open to a threesome thing” with James.

She was momentarily tempted by the devil on her shoulder to replay that whole scenario for him.  If nothing else, the sheer entertainment value would amuse her to no end, but seeing as he’d had a long day already, she passed.

“I’m fine.”

“What about your family?”

No, actually they’re giving you shit.  They don’t think I can think my way out of a wet paper bag.

“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”

He emitted a drawn-out sound of skepticism.  “Not crazy ‘bout the sound of that, sweetheart.  They givin’ you a hard time?”

“It’s fine, Jon,” she sighed, reaching for her wineglass and sipping.  “Everybody is just a little hyper this week with all the last minute wedding preparations.  After that, things will settle down and get back to normal.”   

Jon scowled at the television screen, blind to whatever national news CNN was running at the moment.  He knew they’d handled the situation in the best possible manner.  The “good” press was out there in abundance, but it didn’t erase the “bad” press in the public’s eye, much less her family’s.  He was sure they were doing everything they could to convince her to dump his ass because of the questionable behavior that had gone viral. 

And he was leaving her to deal with it on her own. 

He scowled more deeply.  It seemed like he should be defending himself, or at least defending her decision to be with him.  He wasn’t a social fucktard who was going to get caught whacking off in a porn movie theatre.  Or pay for a whore.  Or…  well, anything that related to sex without relating to Rachel.  

He was a decent guy.

Then do the decent thing.

Jesus, he hated weddings. 

But the truth was that, by air, he was only a few hours away.  There was no show the next night and he could leave right after the wedding on Saturday with enough time to make it back to North Dakota and sound check. 

This embarrassment was caused by him and while he didn’t much care what anybody thought, including Rachel’s family, he also didn’t want her to have to face her entire circle of family and friends with this hanging in the air.   If he was going to prove to her – and everyone else – that she was THE priority in his life…  It was time to put his money where his mouth was. 

Ch 35 ~ I Found Someone

The VIP lounge was pretty quiet tonight, Jon thought as he got Rachel a tequila and himself a glass of wine.  There were a couple of people he vaguely recognized, but no one he felt compelled to talk to.  Considering that he had his hands full with Rachel, it was a plus. 

“Now where the hell did she go?” he mumbled to himself, looking around the room that wasn’t much bigger than a basketball court.  Could he have seriously lost her in the time it took him to get a drink?  Had she had enough of the press bullshit and made a break for it?

She probably went to powder her nose or something, dumbass.

It took another couple of seconds, but he finally spotted the beautiful blonde in the sexy black dress.  He also discovered why he didn’t see her in the first place.  She was being blocked by a woman with a towering head dress.

“Well, hello, Jonny Boy,” Cher greeted him in her famously husky rasp, offering her cheek for a kiss. 

Jon passed Rachel her tequila, noting that she looked a bit starstruck.  He grinned to himself, wondering when the celebrity thing would get old for her.  Right now, it was pretty cute to watch her try and reconcile an album cover photo to the real live person standing in front of her. 

“Cher,” he returned the greeting and delivered the expected Hollywood-style kiss.  “How are ya, baby?”

“Oh, you know… Same shit different decade.”

“Oh how well I know,” he agreed with a laugh.  “I see you met my girlfriend, Rachel.”

Rachel swallowed her sip of tequila and stuck her hand out.  “We hadn’t exactly gotten around to exchanging names, yet.  I’m Rachel Braden.  It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms….?”

“Oh, it’s just Cher, honey.”  The diva waved away the proffered hand and gave her a light hug, air kissing near her cheek.  “Jonny Boy and I go way back, so anybody who can put up with his shit enough to be called a girlfriend…  Well, we should definitely be on a first name basis.”

“Now, you…”  Jon waggled his finger at her.  “Don’t you start bad-mouthing me already. This is why I made you quit hanging out with my guitar player.”

The woman’s snort was just short of being delicate.  “What’s this ‘made me’ shit, Kemosabe?  And speaking of which, where is your infamous Tonto?”

“He had other plans tonight.”  Jon turned to Rachel, mentioning, “I don’t know if you know it or not, but Richie and Cher had a thing back in the late eighties, early nineties.”

“I believe I do recall something like that,” Rachel murmured politely.  Whether she actually did or not, Jon had no idea. 

“Yes, I was his sexual muse.”  She gave a quiet, throaty chuckle.  “And he was my boy toy.  And lemme, tell ya, honey…  he was one helluva toy.”

“Hey now,” Jon interceded.  “My lady has no need to know anything about Sambora’s toys.”

Rachel’s eyes glittered with wickedness.  “Oh, I don’t know.  That might be fun information to have.”

“I will spare Jonny Boy from knowing any more gory details than he already knows.  Besides, I think it’s your toys making the headlines lately.  Got caught with your pants around your ankles, did ya, Bongiovi?”

He couldn’t exactly give one of the biggest divas in history the Jersey salute, even if it was his first reaction.  Quelling the desire, he ducked his head with what could be construed as embarrassment, but Jon wasn’t that easily embarrassed.  Especially by Cher.  He’d outgrown his embarrassment around her while she was bopping his buddy.  The woman had zero modesty.

No, the evasive maneuver was more to buy himself a moment.  Too bad a moment was longer than it took Cher to carry on.

“No answer necessary, but Jesus, son.  When are you gonna get tired of that shit?”  She tapped Rachel’s arm with the backs of her fingers.  “Am I right?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Rachel agreed with a wide grin.  “My sentiments exactly!”

“Okay, okay…  Cut it out.  I get it, already.”

Cher’s inky arched eyebrows lifted cattily.  “If I were her, you sure as hell wouldn’t be gettin’ it.  If you aren’t careful, that thing’s gonna shrivel up and fall off one of these days.”

“Jesus Christ,” he muttered.  “Retract your claws already, would ya?”

An elegantly bare shoulder slid up in a careless shrug.  “You’re using me and my show to pimp your image.  I feel like I’m entitled.”

Rachel’s eyes went big and she immediately brought her glass up for a drink.  She was obviously afraid they’d been busted for a tacky impropriety, but Jon wasn’t concerned.

For good reason.

“Rachel,” Cher said with a nonchalant flip of her wrist.  “Don’t be mortified on my account.  He’d be a dumbass if he didn’t take advantage of every good bit of press he can get.  It would be nice if were at least a little embarrassed that he needed it, but eh…”  She shrugged again.  “You can take the boy outta Jersey, but you can’t take the Jersey outta the boy.”

“I can’t say that I’m too upset about that,” Rachel inserted.  “There’s something about that Jersey-esque-ness that kinda appeals to me.”

The woman of the hour threw her head back in a wide, open laugh.  “You and half the free world, honey.  You and half the free world.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the third song, Rachel recognized the difference between Jon’s “show” and what she would call a true show – such as Cher’s.  The two performers were electric and you couldn’t take your eyes off either one, but the experience was completely different.

With Jon, it was an actual concert.  They way he performed on the stage garnered the atmosphere of an intimate – albeit very large – party.  Cher, on the other hand, took her role as a “performer” to heart.  There were enough set, costume and cast changes to rival any Broadway production and she was the leading lady in all her grandeur.  Both were incredibly engaging – just in two completely different ways. 

“She needs all that shit because she can’t run all over the stage and jump up and down in those goddamn heels,” Jon revealed in Rachel’s ear with a sage nod.

“Oh, hush,” she chastised him with a light tap on the arm.  “You’re just jealous that your posture isn’t good enough to support a Las Vegas headpiece like that.”

There was one notable likeness between the two concerts, though.  Like Jon’s show, Rachel found she was familiar with most of Cher’s setlist and recognized the songs after only a few notes.  As soon as the piano started playing the fourth song and Cher made her entrance dressed as a pirate, Rachel excitedly gripped Jon’s thigh and squealed, “Ooh!  I love this one!”

Somebody, somewhere

Turns out the lights…

Somebody, all alone

Faces the night….

And you’ve got to be strong

When you’re out on your own

‘Cause sooner or later … we all sleep alone.

Jon grinned and tried to smother a cocky smile, but he didn’t do a very good job of it.  His tone carried more than a bit of pride when he leaned over to put his mouth at her ear and revealed, “I wrote that song.”

Rolling her eyes, Rachel slapped his leg. “You did not.”

“I did.”  He laughed and held up his right hand as though he were taking an oath.  “Swear to God.  Produced a couple songs for her and wrote one for another album of hers.”

“Well aren’t you just the talented one?” 

Rachel was undeniably impressed.  To know he wrote songs to perform for his shows was one thing, but to write songs for a superstar like Cher.  Not that Jon wasn’t a superstar…  Crap!  She had just dug herself a hole, making her glad she hadn’t spoken the thoughts aloud. 

She rubbed her hand guiltily over the spot she had just slapped.  “Let me listen to this song and I’ll see if it’s good enough to give you the benefit of my talents….”

He folded his hand over hers with a grin.  “Oh it’s good enough.”

Nobody, nowhere

Holds the key to your heart…

When love’s a possession

It’ll tear you apart

You may have lovers, wherever you roam

But sooner or later, we all sleep alone, 

Don’t make no promises that I can’t keep

I won’t be no prisoner of somebody’s needs

And you may have lovers wherever you roam

Well, but sooner or later… Ooh, we all sleep alone.

That selection ended and another recognizable hit began, tugging at Rachel’s curiosity.  She put a gentle elbow into his side and leaned close.   “Did you write this, too??

“Nah.  Michael Bolton, I think.”

But he was pleased that she’d asked.  She could tell because his chest actually puffed out a bit.  It made her giggle inside.

“Well, I’ve always loved this one, too.”  Rachel was captivated by the whole experience.  The glitz, the glamour, getting to meet one of the greatest divas of all time and now knowing that Jon had at least a small hand in it.  “I’m glad we came tonight – even if it WAS supposed to just be for press.”

“See?  You’re GLAD I created this mess, aren’t you?” he gloated with a teasing wink.

“No comment,” she replied dryly, bumping him with her shoulder and smiling.  “Did you see what I did there?  ‘No comment’.  It came out just like second nature.  I’ve learned how to swim in shark infested waters.”

His chuckle warmed her as she settled into his side and turned her attention back to the elaborate stage presentation and became so engrossed that, mid-way through the show, she’d completely why they were there in the first place.  It was good for them to just relax together, with no thought of the recent chaos or the ominous tick-tock of their time together.

She wasn’t used to that.  Things were different when she’d been staying in New Jersey and he didn’t have so many work commitments.  They had spent virtually every night together and Rachel was missing that freedom a bit.  Tomorrow night she would be sleeping alone, just like the Cher song, because he was continuing on with his tour while she went home to work and family obligations.

Worry about tomorrow only robs you of today’s joy.

And – despite the drama that unfolded while she was here – it was a joy being with him again, she thought as the enormous screens filled with images of Cher in her various film roles.  The melodious tinkling of piano and flute filled the room and immediately enchanted Rachel with its delicate lilt.  The very first lyrics held her entranced. 

Well, here we are again

I guess it must be fate

We've tried it on our own

But deep inside we've known

We'd be back to set things straight

Rachel’s heart soared as goosebumps danced along her skin.  The lyrics were nothing short of…  prophetic?  No, not prophetic, but if ever there was a song that was “theirs” – one that told of their journey together – it would surely be this one. 

She had just begun to chastise herself for the silly romanticism, feeling certain that she must just be caught up in the bigger-than-life moment that had been created on stage, when Jon’s hand reached for hers.  He squeezed lightly and leaned just a bit closer into her. 

Apparently she wasn’t the only one who was making the connection between life and lyrics.   

I still remember when

Your kiss was so brand new

Every memory repeats

Every step I take retreats

Every journey always brings me back to you

After all the stops and starts

We keep coming back to these two hearts

Two angels who've been rescued from the fall

And after all that we've been through

It all comes down to me and you

I guess it's meant to be

Forever you and me

After all

When love is truly right (this time it's truly right)

It lives from year to year

It changes as it goes

Oh, and on the way it grows

But it never disappears

Rachel’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears and her soul overflowed with love as she tore her eyes from the stage to Jon.  There were no words exchanged, but when Jon turned his face to hers… their eyes spoke volumes.   

I fell in love with a man, not a fairytale prince.  A man who makes mistakes like any other, but who has goodness in his heart.  A man who loves me enough to wade through hell and high water to get me back.  No matter what the tabloids bring, I am grateful beyond belief to have him at my side.

He grinned at her tears and swiped at an errant one that tried to trek down her cheek.  There were no ministers, rings or flowers, but there were thousands of witnesses to a moment in Rachel’s life that was as solemn and meaningful as the day she had actually gotten married or given birth to her children. 

With a simple, “I love you, Rach,” Jon puckered his lips and leaned into her for a kiss that sealed their future.

After all the stops and starts

We keep coming back to these two hearts

Two angels who've been rescued from the fall

And after all that we've been through

It all comes down to me and you

I guess it's meant to be

Forever you and me…

After all

Ch 34 ~ Smooth Talker

“Happy,” Rachel muttered, flipping through the closet in the master bedroom.  “In love.  What the hell does one wear that screams happy and in love to a bunch of paparazzi?  That’s appropriate for the ‘woman’ of a rock legend to wear to another rock legend’s concert?  In Las Vegas?  Ugh!”

Whatever it was, she had not packed it. 

Sure, she’d been photographed the last two nights on Jon’s arm, but those had been largely accidental situations.  Whatever photographer had been skulking in the area snapped a pic.  This time there was a choreographed agenda, so that made it feel different in her mind. 

If she were being truthful about it, Rachel wanted to look her best for the woman in Seattle selling her stories to the press.  She wanted that woman to know she was firmly in the past.  Forgotten.  It was a little obnoxious to think that way, and she knew it, but whoever the She-Devil was that had needed a friend’s help to satisfy Jon… well, she had it coming to her. 

At least that was the story Rachel told herself.  It had taken two women to keep his mind off of her that night.  That was the most positive spin she could put on it and still retain her sanity. 

Since she had no outfit that would flip that woman the proverbial bird, Rachel told Jon she was going shopping.  Like any good man who found himself in the doghouse, Jon dutifully dug out his wallet and passed over a credit card that she had no intention of using. 

But he didn’t need to know that. 

She accepted it with a smile, blew him a kiss, and headed for Crystals.

Drifting in and out of name brand clothiers, Rachel couldn’t find anything that spoke to her.  She didn’t want to look trashy-sexy, but she didn’t want to dress too dull either.  Since she was the “woman” of a rock star, and it was Las Vegas, she assumed there was a little leeway that she wouldn’t normally have.  Classically tailored and timelessly elegant was not necessarily appropriate or required.

But I’m not buying new shoes.

Whatever she found would have to go with the sexy snakeskin sandals that were in the suite. 

“Ooh,” she murmured to herself, spying a dress in the window of a little shop.  It was flowy with long-sleeves and a modest neckline, but it wasn’t conservative.  The free-flowing minidress hit at mid-thigh and the sleeves were cut out all the way down, only coming together at the wrist and the shoulder.  And it was black.

“Perfect.”

It had even more of an edge when she slipped on the shoes from Miami, she thought spinning in front of the suite’s bedroom mirror.  Those shoes just did something for her.  Gave her a little extra boost in the self-confidence department.  Given that she felt a little like the proverbial lamb being led to slaughter, a little extra boost in the self-confidence department was not a bad thing. 

She took a final look in the bedroom mirror and quickly ran over the advice Jon’s public relations manager had gone over with her earlier in the day.  He’d primed her to be ready for reporters saying all sorts of ugly things in order to get a response from her, but all Rachel had to do was smile and tune them out. 

No problem.  I can do that, right?  With Jon by my side looking good enough to eat, why should I care what anybody says or thinks?

“Stop frowning, Rach.  You look beautiful and there’s nothing gonna happen tonight that I can’t handle.  I promise.”  Jon’s voice interrupted her emotional mini-seizure.  When he stepped behind her, wrapping his strong arms around her waist, she actually believed him.  “I’m really sorry I created this mess and, in case I haven’t mentioned it, I appreciate the way you’re handling it.”

Turning in his arms, Rachel brushed the mussed hair off his forehead and finger combed the hair behind his ears.  It was habit, she thought, for her to have her hands in that caramel-y head of hair she so loved, especially when offering him comfort. 

“Let’s not keep on with the ‘I’m sorry’ crap, okay?  You apologized and I accept.  I don’t need a pound of flesh on top of it.”

Jon’s eyes squinted completely shut and he briefly bit on his own lip trying to contain his thoughts from turning into actual words… but he just couldn’t help himself.  “Can I have your flesh on top of me?”

Rachel was tired of being a bitch.  She was tired of missing the easy affection and comradery that made them “them”.  And he was so adorable she didn’t want to resist him another second.

So she pulled his head down so he was close enough to kiss, without actually touching his lips.  “Let’s get through this public appearance thing before we talk about what we’re doing afterward, ‘kay?”

“Ooh!”  His eyebrows shot up toward his perfectly mussed hair and a spark brightened his shuttered eyes.  “So that means there’s hope I’ll actually get that ninety-eight pounds of Rachel flesh?”

“Oh, honey,” she purred with a wink.  “Ninety-eight pounds?  You are a PR genius.” 

                                                              

********************

Ken Sunshine had set up a path out of the hotel that would allow the absolute most exposure and opportunity to be seen, Rachel discovered.  The previous two nights when leaving the hotel, she and Jon hadn’t gone through the lobby or used the main entrance.  That was not the case this night, and they were definitely being noticed. 

Most of the cameras clicking away were embedded in cell phones that belonged to hotel guests and casual photographers, but the moment they stepped out into the night air, the true professional paparazzi were easy to spot.  With their enormous cameras and obnoxiously loud voices bellowing out an array of offensive questions, they weren’t exactly subdued.  In fact, they were aggressive as hell.  

“Good grief!” Rachel exclaimed, sinking into the backseat of their hired car.  “And I thought the trip to New York New York was bad.  That was insane!”

Jon squeezed her hand.  “It’s like I always say, babe:  being famous is a by-product of my job, but being infamous is a choice.  The celebrities who play it low key and go about their business like normal, everyday people have lives that aren’t so different from anyone else.  The ones you see splashed all over the news and tabloids every other day…  Well, that’s because they purposely get mobbed by the photographers.  They want to be seen.”

“And tonight we want to be seen,” she sighed. 

“Yeah, we do.”  He leaned over and kissed her cheek.  Whether by accident or design, Rachel was glad he left her lipstick intact as the vehicle pulled up to the entrance of Caesar’s Palace.  “Now brace yourself.  This round is going to be a little crazier.”

He wasn’t kidding. 

While it played into Jon’s game plan, the crush of photographers that circled them the minute they stepped out of the SUV was more than Rachel had anticipated.  Apparently, many a famous actor, musician or politician made their way to Caesar’s for Cher’s nightly show, and it was an easy buck for paparazzi who were willing to bide their time and stake out the limo stand. 

Two steps was all it took for her to feel ill at the vile things the press was shouting trying to get a response from Jon or her, and she found herself squeezing his hand in a death grip as he led her through the crowd.  He smiled into the cameras and she automatically followed suit, doing nothing more than that until they reached the elevator. 

When the doors slid shut, blocking the vultures away, they were momentarily alone, except for Matt, who was handling Jon’s security.  Even then, she didn’t speak, just slowly blew out the breath she’d been holding since they got out of the car.

Jon chuckled softly and crooked an arm around her neck, pulling her into his side.  “You did great, babe.”

Still frazzled, Rachel nodded mutely and follow him out of the elevator – where they were unfortunate enough to run into a new set of media.  This time, though, instead of being the traditional paparazzi, it was a reporter and camera crew from Entertainment Tonight doing a segment on Cher’s residency at Caesar’s. 

They were caught.  Jon could do nothing but stop and acknowledge them. 

Rachel reattached the smile to her face as she stopped just behind Jon on his right.  She expected him to release her hand and let her blend into the woodwork while he did his bit for the camera, but that was not the case.  His grip only got tighter and he used it to subtly pull her forward so that she was standing directly at his side.

Just in time for the reporter to start gushing into the camera like a used car salesman. 

“Ladies and Gentlemen, look who just showed up in the belly of Caesar’s Palace!  Rock God Jon Bon Jovi himself!”

Rachel mentally rolled her eyes, but her expression never faltered as Jon flashed his press smile.  Now knowing her place in this exchange, she gave his hand a quick squeeze so that he could extend it to the reporter. 

“How ya doin’, pal?” 

Pal, she knew, was Jon’s ‘go to’ when he couldn’t remember someone’s name and he didn’t care enough to be reminded.  She’d heard him use it several times on this trip alone, while they were out on their FunFest. 

The two men spoke briefly of Bon Jovi’s tour, Cher’s longevity and finally….

“So, Jon… after nearly 30 years in the music business, women are still throwing themselves at you.  I wouldn’t think it would ever get old, but how does your recent sex-capade compare to those back in the day?  Is it still as exciting as it once was?” 

Jon’s acting background must have taken root in his subconscious, because Rachel found him to be flawless in both his body language and response. 

“The most exciting thing that’s happened to me in a long time is this lady right here.”  He turned and smiled down at her, bestowing an affectionate wink before turning back to his pal.  “Anything else comes in a distant second place.”

“What about the Viagra rumors?” the reporter pushed, digging into his sleazy bag of questions.

Again, Jon had no reaction other than the perfect one.  “I hear stock is up,” he quipped, his perfect smile returning to play.

“So, you’re denying the use of Viagra?”

“Listen, man…  I’ve got the number one tour in the world and I’ve got the number one girl in the world.  If you wanna talk about either of those, I’m your guy.  Viagra I’m not qualified to speak about.”   

He bestowed a quick pat on the reporter’s arm, granted him another flashy smile and uttered a “Good to see you, pal,” that would pass for sincere.  With that, he ended the ‘interview’, dismissing the man with the same flair he’d handled the obnoxious question. 

Matt immediately put out his arm, clearing the way for them to proceed down the passageway.  It was only a few feet before he pulled open a door and ushered them into a blissfully quiet VIP lounge, where Rachel finally felt safe to let out a sigh of relief. 

“Is the worst over?” she asked, angling her face upward with hope brimming in her eyes. 

Please let it be over.  I need a break and a shot of tequila.

“Probably,” he murmured with a soft smile and lightly brushed his fingertips over her cheek.  “You handled yourself like a pro, Rach.  I’m proud of you.”